  Sg9018 Member Username: Sg9018 Post Number: 8 Registered: 10-2006 |
According to the Free press and Black Enterprise magazine's 2007 list of best metropolitan areas for blacks to live in, Detroit is not in the Top 10. Due to quality of life factors. Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick saids in the year of 2010, Detroit will be back in the Top 10. http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs .dll/article?AID=/20070421/NEW S01/704210317 | ||
Urbanize Member Username: Urbanize Post Number: 970 Registered: 02-2007 |
I'm sure Atlanta is up there (and there only 67% black). | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 980 Registered: 06-2006 |
considering that there are fewer jobs here than other places and that minorities no longer get automatic acceptances to our state universities and now have to produce the same credentials as the rest of us, this isn't really surprising | ||
Young_detroiter Member Username: Young_detroiter Post Number: 186 Registered: 08-2004 |
The article suggests that having an African American population of 82% is a reason to make the list. Being the "blackest" major city in the United States is not something that we should pride ourselves on. It would be just as ethnocentric as if Livonia were to pride itself on being the whitest city in America (with over 100,000 residents). I believe that the percentage of Detroit's black community proves the segregation and strong lack of diversity. And even if they do take in to account the relatively diverse metropolitan area, it is still very segregated. African Americans ought to stem the "black flight," as Caucasians, Arabics, and Hispanics (Latinos) begin to increase their numbers in the city. (Likewise, maybe the region's Asian community will consider relocating into Detroit). If this were to happen, Detroit would not only have a growing population, but an increasingly diverse population living within one city, instead of separated by municipal boundaries. Detroit will truly become a world-class city when all individuals of any ethnicity can live in harmony and can call Detroit home. Detroit's African American politicians work to keep Detroit the "blackest" city in America. And African American residents sometimes treat non-black residents as foreigners - as if they have no place in the city. Transplanted and uprooted from Detroit and American society for a year, I am hoping to return to a city that is livable for any ethnic group. By the way, Thejesus, there was not automatic acceptance of minorities. The courts have already spoken, obviously. Nevertheless, your comment is a slap in the face to any minority college student enrolled in Michigan universities prior to the new law. | ||
Milwaukee Member Username: Milwaukee Post Number: 1257 Registered: 08-2006 |
I agree, it sounds like the article thinks that just because a city is very very black means that is a great place for blacks. Hell if that's their logic. Best Place's for blacks to live 1. Gary, Indiana 2. East St. Louis, Illinois 3. Lansing, Illinois 4.... Hey wait, aren't all these places shitholes? How bout' we blacks live in nice cities that are well integrated and have good jobs and schools. Forget blackness, how about quality of life. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5250 Registered: 11-2003 |
So what's the list of the cities, 1-10? The article never gave us a damn list, eh. jjaba. | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 1970 Registered: 12-2005 |
Jjaba, it was in the sidebar. 1. Washington, D.C. 2. Atlanta 3. Raleigh-Durham, N.C. 4. Houston 5. Nashville, Tenn. 6. Dallas 7. Charlotte, N.C. 8. Indianapolis 9. Columbus, Ohio 10. Jacksonville, Fla. | ||
Milwaukee Member Username: Milwaukee Post Number: 1258 Registered: 08-2006 |
1. Washington, D.C. 2. Atlanta 3. Raleigh-Durham, N.C. 4. Houston 5. Nashville, Tenn. 6. Dallas 7. Charlotte, N.C. 8. Indianapolis 9. Columbus, Ohio 10. Jacksonville, Fla. It was on the far right side of the page. I didn't see it the first time either. | ||
Mayor_sekou Member Username: Mayor_sekou Post Number: 715 Registered: 09-2006 |
And of those cities I wouldn't live in 9 of them. | ||
Karl Member Username: Karl Post Number: 6923 Registered: 09-2005 |
Young-detroiter says: "Detroit will truly become a world-class city when all individuals of any ethnicity can live in harmony...." I think most would agree that Detroit could now easily be a world-class city if the predominant ethnic group living there presently could live in harmony. | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 981 Registered: 06-2006 |
"By the way, Thejesus, there was not automatic acceptance of minorities." According to the University of Michigan, their policy prior to Gratz v. Bollinger was to admit virutally every minority that applied to the school in order to maintain a diverse class, with some minor exceptions...considering that gaining admissions to U of M is more difficult than gaining admission to any other state university in Michigan, this was likely the case elsewhere... sorry if you feel slapped in the face by the facts | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5252 Registered: 11-2003 |
Sounds like Dixie is rising again. North of the Mason-Dixon line is fine by me, so no thanks. jjaba, Westsider. | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 2708 Registered: 02-2005 |
The best places for blacks are the same as the best places for everyone else. Places with jobs and quality of life. Detroit is not on the top ten on this list, unfortunately. Having said this, the list they published seems really strange. All those places are experiencing economic growth without overheating (i.e. pricy housing), which is great, but aren't places like NY, Boston, and Chicago usually on the list of best cities to live in? Why wouldn't the criteria for this apply to blacks? | ||
Sarge Member Username: Sarge Post Number: 549 Registered: 10-2003 |
quote: Actually, I think there is some truth in what both of you are saying. Not every minority who applied to U of M was automatically accepted. However, the policy did operate to automatically admit just about any preferred minority who met the minimum qualifications. | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 983 Registered: 06-2006 |
Sarge: That's why I used the terms "virtually" and "with some minor exceptions"...so I think we're on the same page... Also, this is by UM's own admission, and not my opinion | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 653 Registered: 04-2006 |
"That's why I used the terms "virtually" and "with some minor exceptions"...so I think we're on the same page... " Actually, no. His statement was a lot more precise (whether accurate is another argument) than yours. Not to mention somewhat less inflammatory. | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 986 Registered: 06-2006 |
so we prefer less-inflammatory statements over accurate ones do we? I'll take note of that... | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 654 Registered: 04-2006 |
"so we prefer less-inflammatory statements over accurate ones do we? I'll take note of that..." Nothing to choose from in this case as your statement was not accurate either. | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 987 Registered: 06-2006 |
according to the University of Michigan, it was | ||
Royce Member Username: Royce Post Number: 2194 Registered: 07-2004 |
All surveys are subjective. The cities mentioned aren't panaceas. Washington DC has a lot of college educated blacks that have jobs with the government. The same holds true for whites. If you're fortunate to have a college degree and government job, you'd do well in DC as those surveyed. However, ask the blacks and whites who don't have college degrees who live in DC how great it is? If you want a house, you can't afford it. A brownstone in DC is over $400,000. Even many college educators folks can't afford that. In some of the other cities, there are very few black political leaders, meaning very little black influence regarding political decisions that affect blacks. In Dallas, many of the blacks with great jobs don't even live in Dallas. Of course they're quality of life is going to be better, living in the swanky suburbs of Dallas. However, ask the blacks living in Dallas how the quality of life is for them. Metal detectors are needed to enter public schools and their sporting events, including Friday night football games. Also, in many of these so called "top 10" cities, the number of blacks without college degrees making middle income salaries are still less than blacks in Detroit without college degrees, with the exception of maybe Atlanta. Blacks with auto factory jobs(no college degree) here in Detroit still earn more than blacks in many of these cities. Yes, many are losing their jobs to downsizing or buyouts, but before this, very few blacks without college degrees could make the same kind of money as those working in the auto industry. Next weekend, the NAACP will hold its 52nd Annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner. This dinner is supposedly the largest sit-down dinner in the world at 10,000 participants. The majority of participants will be black, and the majority of those black participants will be Detroiters. At $150 per plate, that amounts to a lot of money donated by blacks who live in a city that didn't make the top ten best cities to live for blacks. Something to think about. | ||
Club_boss Member Username: Club_boss Post Number: 58 Registered: 12-2006 |
I live in Indy. I am surprised Indianapolis is in the top 10, I looked at the link below as well... http://www.blackenterprise.com /cms/exclusivesopen.aspx?id=28 30 She mentions a couple of events (black expo for one) plus a street in the city, such as: "On the Indiana Avenue corrider (spelled wrong) there's the Madame CJ Walker Theatre." Black Expo is a questionable reference. In desiding (spelled wrong) several factors were considered, such as "a survey on the magazine's Web site, www.blackenterprise.com, conducted over a nine-week period between December and February." And... "The magazine then examined earnings potential, jobs, cost of living, crime rates, quality of schools, affordable housing, race relations, percentage of college graduates, household incomes, and access to technology." OK, my opinion: Cost of living--true crime rates--people around here would beg to differ. Once a month someone starts a thread “Welcome To Little Detroit, We Are Detroit,” and on and on. Indy closed out 2006 with 152 murders, give or take a 2. quality of schools... She says "Indianapolis has a good public school system. Lawrence Township has some of the better ones as well as the International School, which is private." Nothing could be further from the truth. Lawrence township has nothing to do with IPS (Indianapolis Public Schools) Additionally my niece goes to IPS, school 72, you would hard pressed to find anyone in Indy. who would claim IPS is a good school system. affordable housing--this is under the heading of cost of living to me and I agree w/ her. race relations...If Indy. is in the the top 10, were all in trouble. percentage of college graduates...I'm guessing but I would say, I would be surprised if these numbers were high, I would fall out of my chair. household incomes...are lower as cost of living is lower, wages follow that lead, IMO. and access to technology... does she mean the library? Give me a break, Indy = Technology? What is she talking about? Perhaps I need enlightening, what or where is she referring to? Sorry I'm not bashing Indy. I live here and I can tell you Black Expo is not welcome with open arms (putting it mildly) and has the most contentious message boards threads I've ever seen since moving here. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 819 Registered: 10-2006 |
Yeah Charlotte, NC! | ||
Young_detroiter Member Username: Young_detroiter Post Number: 188 Registered: 08-2004 |
Thejesus, your perspective is understood. It is not logical to beat a horse that has nothing more than a skeleton nor to discuss an unrelated topic. However, your initial wording would have discredited the thousands of current minority students who have worked just as hard as their counterparts of the majority to get where they are today. ______________________________ _ Detroit is a great place to observe black culture, but it has a long way to go. We should not give our city and its politicians any slack. We cannot lower our expectations for our fair city. Detroit is not dead, and what has not killed her will only make her stronger. Moreover, the black community itself needs to strengthen as Karl finely stated: "I think most would agree that Detroit could now easily be a world-class city if the predominant ethnic group living there presently could live in harmony." With all due respect to my beloved city and its residents, Detroit, in general, does not reflect the best of what African American culture has to offer. I have had to step away from the society of my own culture and the poison of the news images to gain a greater appreciation for it. I have witnessed the best and worst of black culture in Detroit. And when you live in a neighborhood of constant shooting, drug dealing, and where lawlessness is law, it is difficult to recognize your true potential and to have the highest respect for your own culture. Detroit has produced and still is producing some amazing black leaders, but it is also capping the aspirations and hopes of many other young blacks. I have witnessed it firsthand. And no matter how much I want to portray Detroit as the "Paris of the Midwest," I must face the facts and truth in order to expect change to occur. (Message edited by Young_Detroiter on April 22, 2007) | ||
English Member Username: English Post Number: 526 Registered: 10-2003 |
*applause for Young Detroiter* Black nationalism and racial pride will only get you so far. Our city is crumbling. We need more entrepreneurship -- one of the problems is that both white and blue-collar African Americans post-Civil Rights have become too dependent upon civic jobs (federal/state/municipal government, education, law enforcement). I fell into this trap myself. Originally, I was going to major in business, but when my father became ill, I switched my major to education because I wanted to move back to city and that was a field where I knew I could get a job. But I come from a family of entrepreneurs. One great-grandfather owned a small general store in Alabama until the KKK strung him up and burned it to the ground. Another owned a lumberyard and produce/dairy farm in central Florida, and fared far better by the luck of the draw (Rosewood, FL, was only 50 miles away). Grandfather owned an electronics store in Black Bottom with his brother, rotating the staffing of it between their factory shifts... until it disappeared in the 1950s. After that, he began to invest in real estate. My mother is a working artisan, and her jewelry, artwork, and handmade dolls helped to pay some of my college expenses. And so on. I never understood this idea of black Americans supposedly not being enterprising. It's kind of foreign to me. Whenever I've needed extra cash, no one in my family gave me money. They told me to make my OWN money. So I've already cycled through 5 businesses since I was a young teen: math tutoring, making/selling jewelry, catering, wordprocessing/transcribing, and (currently) internet bookseller. My sisters own what they do as well: one is a hairdresser, and the other is a massage therapist. They hope to open a salon and spa. And in this generation, an increasing number of blacks are running major enterprises. My uncle started a small biotech corporation two years ago after saving for 20 years and working in tech after graduating from an Ivy League school. A Cass Tech grad, he is doing very well for himself, but refuses to relocate to Detroit -- "there's no business there". When I asked his wife whether they would move back to the city from their current location, she laughed and said: "I hope Detroit gets itself together someday, but I would NEVER sacrifice my children to make that happen." They actively tried to discourage me from my quixotic mission to teach in the Detroit Public Schools, and still feel that I have limited myself by remaining in the field of education. (I'm considering going to work for my uncle after I finish my Ph.D, developing sustainable products for use in schools and colleges.) Yet supposedly African Americans like us don't exist. *shaking my head* I think it's because our family history doesn't fit with the preferred metanarrative of lazy blacks waiting on government handouts. I was raised not to trust ANYTHING the government, white folks, or anyone else gave you. Why would I want the sole source of my income to come from welfare or civic employment? I said it years ago on this forum and I'll say it again. What no one talks about are ALL the smart/decent/ambitious/law-abi ding black kids who grew up in post-riot Detroit, and got the ---- out of Dodge the second they could. Along with the smart/decent/ambitious/law-abi ding kids of all races from the suburbs. SE Michigan's greatest natural resource is its people. We've "grown" some great ones, but the mentality around here doesn't encourage entrepreneurship, diversity, creativity, cosmopolitanism, or thinking outside of the box. So we have only ourselves to blame if this is an undesirable locale for ANYONE to live in -- let alone black folks. | ||
Detroit_stylin Member Username: Detroit_stylin Post Number: 3949 Registered: 10-2003 |
*Standing ovation for English* | ||
Karl Member Username: Karl Post Number: 6968 Registered: 09-2005 |
English, may I ask your POV on successful African Americans like Condi Rice, Colin Powell and Clarence Thomas? Further, what do you think of the message Bill Cosby speaks to African American audiences? Your family sounds delightful. | ||
Club_boss Member Username: Club_boss Post Number: 61 Registered: 12-2006 |
"Further, what do you think of the message Bill Cosby speaks to African American audiences" Which message? His pound cake speech is infamous: http://www.americanrhetoric.co m/speeches/billcosbypoundcakes peech.htm | ||
Detroit_stylin Member Username: Detroit_stylin Post Number: 3951 Registered: 10-2003 |
Well Karl what do you think of this statement within that speech since it contains a positive message about two groups you despise? quote: Karl= seeing only what he wants to see... Seems as if the Cos' is still taking shots at the establishment as well... (Message edited by Detroit_stylin on April 24, 2007) | ||
Yvette248 Member Username: Yvette248 Post Number: 484 Registered: 10-2006 |
I really believe this is just about the dog-poor economy that this region is in. If there is high employment, then this can't be a "top" place to live - period. | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 688 Registered: 11-2005 |
If you look at the actual story in Black Enterprise, it's clear that by "Detroit" they don't just mean the city proper. For example, last time I checked, the City of Detroit did not have more than 4 million people. Of course, there are 4 million people who SAY they live in Detroit.  So the story really should have been about how METRO Detroit is not a top place for blacks to live. Though I'm sure a survey of the top places for whites to live wouldn't put the D in the top 10 either. | ||
Quozl Member Username: Quozl Post Number: 486 Registered: 07-2005 |
Great post English. This retard Kamau Kambon from New Orleans certainly is not helping the cause for Black Americans: http://www.break.com/index/dou ble_standard.html | ||
Club_boss Member Username: Club_boss Post Number: 62 Registered: 12-2006 |
I think the bigger issue is the problems and issues the state of Michigan faces. Michiganders are Taxed by the state until they can't tax you anymore. The state of Michigan taxes a business (or did) until the business, is out of business. Oakland County is Michigan's wealthiest county and one of the 10 wealthiest counties in America. | ||
Gibran Member Username: Gibran Post Number: 219 Registered: 02-2007 |
I guess the wish for all is that Detroit re-invents itself where folks of all cultures desire to rebuild the city in a new image. Not one of divide and separation. I would love to see the city of my childhood become one that everyone who wants to raise a family in a safe and culturally diverse environment could do so. I believe that non-stereo typing people and generalizations is a great start. There are good people who are very poor and want the best for their children .... We as a nation should look at where our cities lay in crisis and put a Marshal plan for them.... We could fix anything in this country that we put our minds to it. We make billionaires out of dreamers We should find urban planners with such vision... instead of war CZARS... we should get urban planning czars... where would we find the funds...look to the muddled-east... By the way English and young Detroit thank you for your words of wisdom and understanding. | ||
Darwinism Member Username: Darwinism Post Number: 629 Registered: 06-2005 |
Young_detroiter and English said exactly what I intended to say. There are Blacks who get it, and there are Blacks who don't. Stop whining about the fact that Detroit was shunned by the ranking. Black Enterprise magazine didn't just survey pre-school kids. They had talked to successful Black executives, movers and shakers across the country about the list. Detroit fell short on the criteria that were examined. So, face reality, and make some big major changes. As English stated, we along with this city need to blame ourselves 110%. | ||
Michmeister Member Username: Michmeister Post Number: 166 Registered: 10-2006 |
How can you say Detroit is overlooked? At the moment, Detroit isn`t the best place to live for anyone. Who gives a rats ass for such categorizations? | ||
Paulmcall Member Username: Paulmcall Post Number: 128 Registered: 05-2004 |
If you are Black and have plenty of Green, anywhere will be a nice place to live. How about Bloomfield Hills? Notice they said "Detroit area" not Detroit proper. How many whites or blacks would want to live in a neighborhood where you have boarded up houses or burnt out buildings? |
